Gasol brothers united!*
February 1, 2008 | 12:31
pm
*UPDATE Well,they're united in the sense that Pau can tell little bro where to find good BBQ in Memphis. In what must be an NBA first (or certainly no more than an NBA fifth), the rights to Marc Gasol went to the Grizz as part of the deal bringing Pau to LA. Weird!)
Turns out, by ownership rights, if not actually on the court.
According to the Commercial Appeal, Pau Gasol will be heading the Lakers' way in exchange for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and 2008/2010 first round draft picks. The Times is reporting the same news, making me think we're officially in business.
And if so, I like it. A lot.
(I'll have some detailed thoughts up in a bit, but for now, wanted to make sure everyone had the news)
AK
This is great for both teams. Kwame was a bust for L.A. and Pau needs to be the #2 or #3 option, not #1.
Posted by: Will in Memphis | February 01, 2008 at 12:32 PM
BYE KWAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: golal | February 01, 2008 at 12:32 PM
YES!!!!
Posted by: Tsiry | February 01, 2008 at 12:33 PM
As of now the team might seriously have a chance to win a championship this year. Wow, they got Gasol for practically nothing.
Posted by: lou73 | February 01, 2008 at 12:34 PM
I heard at am570 as it was announced............i nearly stroked OUT!
no one at work believed me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TITLETOWN HERE WE COME!!!!!!!!!!!
SUNS, SPURS, MAVS - WE'RE COMING FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Vinny | February 01, 2008 at 12:34 PM
actually AK, we traded the rights to Marc Gasol too.
Kept SUn Yue though.
By the way I take back what I said about risk. This is as Jerry West-esque as anything ever was.
Go Lakers!
Posted by: Faith | February 01, 2008 at 12:34 PM
No time like the PRESENT, Lakers ORG is trying to WIN now!
Tha's wassup!
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | February 01, 2008 at 12:34 PM
Awesome trade - maybe LO will be encouraged now and start racking up some points. Does this mean they are two less for tonight's game???
Posted by: PsychedLakerGirl | February 01, 2008 at 12:36 PM
The Kwame era is over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In the words of Mrs. Peggy Hill "Oooooooh yeah".
Posted by: Elle | February 01, 2008 at 12:36 PM
This is so sweeeeeet!. Can you imagine with Bynum's (hopefully healthy) return and Pau, the type of damage the Lakers can now do down low... ouch... bye-bye Kwame (aka I have no faith in my little hands Brown)
www.audiodrums.com
Posted by: David | February 01, 2008 at 12:36 PM
What a steal!
Posted by: RXN | February 01, 2008 at 12:36 PM
What a steal! GM of the year - Kupcake
Posted by: RXN | February 01, 2008 at 12:36 PM
Yes! This trade got me excited... makes one think.. Jerry West works for Grizz and Kevin McHale works for Timberwolves.. good setup for the BOS/Lakers rivalry!!!
Posted by: Peter | February 01, 2008 at 12:36 PM
HALLELUJAHHHH!!!!!!
Good luck to Kwame and J-Critt - We will miss ur potentials, both of yall.
Lets serve up some kung-PAU whoop a$$. yesss!!!
Posted by: Chris H. | February 01, 2008 at 12:37 PM
Does that mean that Marc Gasol is also coming????
By the way this is the playoff roster
PG Fisher/Farmar
SG Kobe/Sasha
SF Odom/Ariza/Luke
PF Gasol/Turiaf/Vlad
C Bynum/Mihm
Suddenly the Spurs just felt a lot older and got tired. The Suns are shaking in their boots especially Amare...The Mavs are going to implode by trading half their roster for Jason Kidd..McGrady just decided that hes going to be injured the rest of the year...Sloan just pissed off Kirelinko...the Blazers finally said..wait till next year..Chris Paul just realized that he cant go 1 on 5...the Nuggets just realized that now the Lakers will score 150 points on them...Baron Davis just put in a request to be traded to the Lakers
Posted by: The Lake Show | February 01, 2008 at 12:37 PM
can we throw Mike T. into that deal instead of one of the picks?
Posted by: golal | February 01, 2008 at 12:37 PM
I owe KUPCAKE an apology.
He has made the GREATEST TURNAROUND IN LAKER HISTORY.
UNBELIEVABLE.
MITCH FOR GOVERNOR
WOW!!!!
Let's go get some championships!!!
Posted by: Lakerbake | February 01, 2008 at 12:39 PM
The roof just got patched!
Ole!
Posted by: Faith | February 01, 2008 at 12:39 PM
Ok..I'm ready to start handing out kisses and chocolate!
What a BIG, BIG move!
Yes!
Who wants kisses?
Wes
Posted by: | February 01, 2008 at 12:39 PM
WOW KUPCAKE IS A GENIUS. The Lakers and Kobe are now the most talented team in the league by a large margin. THE LAKER TEAM IS NOW IN POSITION TO WIN A TITLE. IF KOBE ,GASOL, FISHER, BYNUM can't deliever a title than no team ever will.
Posted by: jon | February 01, 2008 at 12:40 PM
Fisher, Kobe, LO, Gasol, BYNUM!!!!!!!!!!
Can you say CRAZY!!!! I havent smile so big since....well...lastnight ! lmfao
Posted by: | February 01, 2008 at 12:40 PM
too sweeet! i got goosebumps just thinking about how our line up will look like once Bynum returns....
www.audiodrums.com
Posted by: David | February 01, 2008 at 12:40 PM
Thank you, Mitch!
Posted by: | February 01, 2008 at 12:40 PM
Mitch for GM of the year!
Posted by: chucky | February 01, 2008 at 12:40 PM
our starting lineup is the best in the league. top to bottom. odom can be the 4th option when bynum come back. this will help him out alot. what a great day to be a laker fan. if they win tonight, its just icing on the cake.
GO LAKERS
Posted by: mrbarneydangles | February 01, 2008 at 12:40 PM
too sweeet! i got goosebumps just thinking about how our line up will look like once Bynum returns....
www.audiodrums.com
Posted by: David | February 01, 2008 at 12:40 PM
LO's dreams of being the 4th option has finally come true.
Posted by: sixonezero | February 01, 2008 at 12:41 PM
SORRY MITCH I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!
Jerry West is good at blackmail!
Posted by: Amazing_Happens | February 01, 2008 at 12:41 PM
Mitch!
Come over here you big lug!
Wes
Posted by: | February 01, 2008 at 12:41 PM
Faith,
I don't think they traded Marc Gasol's rights, unless I totally missed that.
Also, per our discussion a little while back, I think we just have very different definitions of "risk." To me, outside of the financial side of things, since Gasol has a long deal, this isn't a particularly risky trade at all. It's "big," don't get me wrong. But not necessarily risky. Outside of what The Critter might turn into down the road (and that's just the cost of doing business if you want a good player), the Lakers know exactly what they're getting on the talent side of things. And what they're giving up in Kwame, who was very unlikely to return as it is. But again, I guess it just depends on how you look at it.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | February 01, 2008 at 12:41 PM
Well, this is great -- but mixed -- news. By all accounts, losing Javaris is akin to having lost Caron Butler. It will raise its head every so often to thumb LA in the nose. On the other hand, it was absolutely unavoidable. The good news is that we kept Jordan (although Javaris may have a longer shelf life over the next decade). Still Jordan is more polished at this stage and can help LA win now and in the short to mid term future.
When Trevor and Drew return this team should compete now and for the next couple of years. Keeping Lamar with this squad we have will also prove beneficial -- he will contribute immensely without pressing to do what he can't do (a la last night)!
This is an excellent job by Mitch (on paper). In this one half season he has made up for a lot of past calculated gambles that went awry.
Fantastic news all the way around!
Posted by: t_sensei | February 01, 2008 at 12:42 PM
Yeeeeaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!! See ya Kwame!!! What a day!! What a DAY!! Kobe, Bynum, Lamar, Pau, D-Fish, Farmar, Ronny, Vujacic, Luke, Vlad Rad.....what a team....
WHAT A TEAM!
Mike T. where you at???!?!?!
Posted by: wondahbap | February 01, 2008 at 12:44 PM
Am I the only one who feels like dancing?
Posted by: Elle | February 01, 2008 at 12:44 PM
maybe kwame can come back next year for the minimum so he can hang out with his friends again.
Posted by: sixonezero | February 01, 2008 at 12:44 PM
Kupchak for President!!!
Posted by: | February 01, 2008 at 12:44 PM
Yeeeeaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!! See ya Kwame!!! What a day!! What a DAY!! Kobe, Bynum, Lamar, Pau, D-Fish, Farmar, Ronny, Vujacic, Luke, Vlad Rad.....what a team....
WHAT A TEAM!
Mike T. where you at???!?!?!
Posted by: wondahbap | February 01, 2008 at 12:45 PM
can i get an AMEN?
Posted by: SA | February 01, 2008 at 12:45 PM
When is Pau going to join the sqaud
Best news. I see some trophies coming to lakerdom.
Posted by: Dan | February 01, 2008 at 12:45 PM
OK, all you Mitch K. haters. Waddaya all say now?
Posted by: Mel Counts | February 01, 2008 at 12:45 PM
No more Kwame!!! Hoooraaaay!! No more endless debates on his calves vs. Bynum! Good bye and good luck! This is a very good day!
Posted by: Wardmin | February 01, 2008 at 12:46 PM
This is a horrible trade! Who is going to clog the middle? Where is that big body that we need? There is a racist move by the organization.
I'm upset!
Posted by: Idiot | February 01, 2008 at 12:46 PM
I am too HAPPY!!!....this is just LOVELY!!!!!!!
Posted by: | February 01, 2008 at 12:46 PM
It's risky coz it's not status quo.
Trading what could possible a big star in Kwame, that's risky lol.
Posted by: Faith | February 01, 2008 at 12:46 PM
Now that we finally ripped Gasol from Memphis, can we get Jerry West back on the payroll. Since the potential conflict of interest is completely gone.
On the minus side, we now have no 1st round draft picks to develop in '08 and '10. I'm so bummed.
The only thing which bothers me is Gasol's sore back unless that was just a smoke screen. I wonder why we really needed to give up Marc Gasol's rights? You think that the Grizzly fans won't notice the difference between the two? Maybe they won't.
Trivia question (I have no answer), when was the last time that two brothers were involved in a trade for each other?
Lakers!
Posted by: akr_68 | February 01, 2008 at 12:47 PM
If I were Odom I would step up my game or else he'll be in New Jersey, Sacramento or New York really quickly. The Lakers FO finally means business. Jerry Buss decided that he cared about the Lakers again.
But I would like to reiterate how big Andrew Bynum and Farmar are to this team. Before the season Mitch was a Joke to the rest of the league...now after his young players panned out.. and he stood up to his superstar and took the media crush...Kupchake seems like GM of the year and has the ultimate respect....99% of GMs would have caved in like Paxon did in Chicago by finding a scapegoat or the Rod Thorn is about to do in NJ...
Also Id like to mention the well documented Jerry Buss loyalty. He was so loyal to Jim Buss and Kupchake that he figured that he rolled the dice on Farmar and Bynum knowing that if they developed it would all work out....Wow thats some major Cajones from the Poker player....I dont know any other franchise owner that would ever pull that trick..being so trusting of his employees that even when it looked horrible..and he was going to get all the flack...it would still happen.
Whoa...if worst case scenario happens and Gasol doesnt work out...it dont matter..this was the type of dice rolling that puts the Lakers back ahead of the NBA...Boston just said uh-oh..thats how big it is. The Lakers are not only set for winning "today" but also for the future. Gasol wont be playing too much Spain ball anymore since he just found himself in Hoops' heaven.
Gasol 27
Kobe 28
Odom 28
Bynum 20
Farmar 20
Ariza 21
Sasha 23
the Lakers are set for the next 10 years and Jerry Buss can go back to dating young girls without anybody caring...
Posted by: The Lake Show | February 01, 2008 at 12:47 PM
THANK YOU JESUS!!!!
WE GOT GASOL!!!
AND BETTER YET.... NO MORE KWAME!!!!!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Posted by: CBuck | February 01, 2008 at 12:47 PM
all those times pontificating for the perfect gasol trade have finally come to fruition!
Posted by: SA | February 01, 2008 at 12:47 PM
Oh my gosh!! What an incredible trade. Gets an All-Star caliber player for next to nothing. Crittendon will probably turn into an incredible guard in 2 yrs from now. But we still got Farmar (reminds me of Tony Parker) and Sasha has exceeded my wildest expectations this year.
Add an All-Star with no subtraction - Go Lakers, I guess the Grizzlies wanted the expiring contract.
Posted by: awash | February 01, 2008 at 12:47 PM
SORRY MITCH I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!
Jerry West is good at blackmail!
Posted by: Amazing_Happens | February 01, 2008 at 12:48 PM
OMG!! I was about to take a nap and I jumped out of bed when I saw this!
Thank you Jesus! Thank you Kupchal
Posted by: Xodus | February 01, 2008 at 12:48 PM